Naomi Nye's Essay 'To Any Would-Be Terrorists'
Arabs: Terrorism
Seri Kamal
Writing 102
Professor Alaanoud Abusalim
October 20, 2010
Arabs: Terrorism
Naomi Nye, a female writer, is an American citizen, half American, half Palestinian. The writer wrote an essay “To Any Would-Be Terrorists” describing in a sad and frustrated way that the terrorists should find another way to live and make peace with the world by stopping the terrorism acts since the world needs not to suffer more pain. The writer’s purpose was to show the Americans that not all Arab-Americans agree to the acts that the Arabs do and that they feel with them especially after the events of 9/11. However, she may have successfully appealed to them, but the appeals presented made her appear to be against Arabs; moreover, it may have lead to distorting our image. …show more content…
Arabs are most of the time misrepresented by the American media and people.
Shaheen (1984) argued in “The Media’s Image of Arabs” how stereotypes and media preview the Arabs as people who only understand violence and torture (pp. 222-23). Nye unconsciously supported what the media presented by using pathos in the beginning of her essay in which she explained that the acts of terrorism is hurting a lot of people, and it needs to be stopped, and that the terrorists need to sit and listen. It gives some of the people the idea that Arabs are terrorists who hurt a lot of people and doesn’t see the harm they’re doing to the world or listen to what others are trying to say to them. The author also wrote that she knows what type of food we like and that she would serve it to us under the condition that we listen to her (p. 366). This previews us that we are hard to deal with, and it shows the American people that we are separated and refuse to listen even to the people of same kind as us,
Arabs.
The author also used pathos to state that the Arabs need to make peace with the world.
She stated how killing the people, and causing wars breaks people hearts and makes God angry (p. 369). In a way, this gives some people the idea that Arabs are the ones who are causing all this pain and that it’s in their hands to stop it. However, who are the ones who are engaging war in our countries in the first place? Isn’t the one who start something is the one that has to put an end to it and bring peace to the world?
However, not all the facts that Nye mentioned may affect our image since some of it is true. The author argued using pathos the way we now try to force other people into becoming Muslims. In addition she used logos by providing an example of Khalid ibn al-Walid to prove that in the old times we didn’t force people into our religion, but gave them the freedom of choice and didn’t harm them or their churches if they refused to change religions (p. 368). This is true; nowadays many Muslims are racist towards Jews and Christians even though we were taught not to be.
The writer’s use of the rhetorical appeals were effective; however, she could have approached it in another way without appearing to be against the Arabs or unconsciously damaging their image. For example, Abinader (2001) wrote in “Profile of an Arab Daughter” to the same type of audience that the Arab-Americans feel with them and they need not to be treated badly, yet she used different rhetorical appeals without mentioning anything concerning Arabs or terrorists.
References
Nye N. To Any Would-Be Terrorists. The New World Reader
Shaheen J. (1984). The Media’s Image of Arabs. Majlis of the ‘Others’
Abinader E. (2001). Profile of an Arab Daughter. Majlis of the ‘Others’
Seri Kamal
Writing 102
Professor Alaanoud Abusalim
October 20, 2010
Arabs: Terrorism
Naomi Nye, a female writer, is an American citizen, half American, half Palestinian. The writer wrote an essay “To Any Would-Be Terrorists” describing in a sad and frustrated way that the terrorists should find another way to live and make peace with the world by stopping the terrorism acts since the world needs not to suffer more pain. The writer’s purpose was to show the Americans that not all Arab-Americans agree to the acts that the Arabs do and that they feel with them especially after the events of 9/11. However, she may have successfully appealed to them, but the appeals presented made her appear to be against Arabs; moreover, it may have lead to distorting our image. …show more content…
Arabs are most of the time misrepresented by the American media and people.
Shaheen (1984) argued in “The Media’s Image of Arabs” how stereotypes and media preview the Arabs as people who only understand violence and torture (pp. 222-23). Nye unconsciously supported what the media presented by using pathos in the beginning of her essay in which she explained that the acts of terrorism is hurting a lot of people, and it needs to be stopped, and that the terrorists need to sit and listen. It gives some of the people the idea that Arabs are terrorists who hurt a lot of people and doesn’t see the harm they’re doing to the world or listen to what others are trying to say to them. The author also wrote that she knows what type of food we like and that she would serve it to us under the condition that we listen to her (p. 366). This previews us that we are hard to deal with, and it shows the American people that we are separated and refuse to listen even to the people of same kind as us,
Arabs.
The author also used pathos to state that the Arabs need to make peace with the world.
She stated how killing the people, and causing wars breaks people hearts and makes God angry (p. 369). In a way, this gives some people the idea that Arabs are the ones who are causing all this pain and that it’s in their hands to stop it. However, who are the ones who are engaging war in our countries in the first place? Isn’t the one who start something is the one that has to put an end to it and bring peace to the world?
However, not all the facts that Nye mentioned may affect our image since some of it is true. The author argued using pathos the way we now try to force other people into becoming Muslims. In addition she used logos by providing an example of Khalid ibn al-Walid to prove that in the old times we didn’t force people into our religion, but gave them the freedom of choice and didn’t harm them or their churches if they refused to change religions (p. 368). This is true; nowadays many Muslims are racist towards Jews and Christians even though we were taught not to be.
The writer’s use of the rhetorical appeals were effective; however, she could have approached it in another way without appearing to be against the Arabs or unconsciously damaging their image. For example, Abinader (2001) wrote in “Profile of an Arab Daughter” to the same type of audience that the Arab-Americans feel with them and they need not to be treated badly, yet she used different rhetorical appeals without mentioning anything concerning Arabs or terrorists.
References
Nye N. To Any Would-Be Terrorists. The New World Reader
Shaheen J. (1984). The Media’s Image of Arabs. Majlis of the ‘Others’
Abinader E. (2001). Profile of an Arab Daughter. Majlis of the ‘Others’